Looks like it’s been a plenty-busy news week in Trenton (which seems to happen every summer in isn’t-it-supposed-to-slow-down season), with the Race to the Top storm that’s been raging. I’ve actually been in Rehoboth Beach all week, where the federal education reform grants haven’t in the news because Delaware was one of only two states to win funds back in Round 1. But it looks like you’ve all been having fun back home.

Embedded below, in case you haven’t seen it but are curious, is a 1 minute, 21 second excerpt from the state Department of Education’s interview in Washington in which — directly contradicting what Gov. Chris Christie told reporters Wednesday — the state didn’t provide the U.S. Department of Education corrected information[1] about state spending on education. In its application, New Jersey provided the wrong information, losing 4.8 points en route to missing out on $400 million by 3 points.

Senate and Assembly committees were already promising hearings before Thursday’s developments, and Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono dropped an OPRA public records request on the state DOE on Thursday. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver suggests that it might be time to end the tenure of Education Commissioner Bret Schundler — who, incidentally, has already had public disagreements with Christie over the Race to the Top application, whether voters should reject school budgets and the timetable for benefits-changing bills he said would set off a wave of teacher retirements. On New Jersey 101.5 last night, Christie — whose comments to the press Wednesday were based on what he’d been told happened at the D.C. interview — seemed quite displeased. From Oliver’s prepared statement:

“I am deeply disappointed that it appears Gov. Christie’s account, based upon representations made by Commissioner Schundler, has not been factual. The governor needs to demand that his education commissioner give a full, honest accounting to the people of New Jersey of what really happened with this costly mistake. No more excuses. No more finger-pointing. It’s also perhaps time for the governor to consider a change in educational leadership in this state.”